PPGD Love and War, Mostly War
by moyeongsu
Summary: My PPGD continuation series.  PPGD is a fancomic by Bleedman, check it out as ppgd.  It's going to take place over a span of several years and will become very epic...I hope.  just read it and see what you think.
1. Chapter 1

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 1: Bubbles' Secret

Megaville wasn't exactly a quiet town before the arrival of the three superhero sisters. The kids at Megaville Elementary were still unaware that THE Powerpuff girls were running the halls by day and fighting alien invaders by night, but slowly they were becoming aware of something around them.

The girls were doing their best to fit in; Blossom found a boyfriend, Buttercup was on the soccer team and crushing on a teacher, and Bubbles was just kind of cruising by. Blossom had done her best to find something for Bubbles to become interested in, but she seemed preoccupied most of the time with thoughts Blossom couldn't decipher.

Buttercup told Blossom she was just imagining stuff because Bubbles really couldn't be thinking of too much. It WAS Bubbles. She was probably thinking of butterflies and puppies. Blossom considered that for a moment and then decided Bubbles WAS indeed occupying her thoughts with something other than the obvious. Blossom tried asking once, but was quickly dodged by Bubbles saying she had to go to see Mandy and work on homework. She just couldn't figure out what was on her sister's mind.

When had they all become so distant from each other? Blossom and Dexter were always in the lab. Buttercup was with the girls or in the combat simulations. Bubbles was with Courage or Mandy doing whatever those two did. Blossom missed when they were younger and did everything together. That's when she told Bubbles and Buttercup they were going on a picnic the next weekend, so they had better clear their schedules. They shrugged her off at the invitation with a "Sure, whatever." And ditched her Saturday morning.

The following Friday night, sometime past midnight, as Blossom was coming out of the kitchen with a glass of water, on her way back to bed, she caught sight of the front door closing. She hurried to the window only to see Bubbles flying away towards the outskirts of town.

She, of course, had no option but to follow her sister. Bubbles landed in a remote part of the forest just past city limits, walked up to an oak tree and leaned against it to stare at the moon. Blossom hid behind some distant bushes and tried to make out the carving on the tree. It was a large heart with "B&B" etched into it. If Bubbles was one of the B's who was the other?

The red haired spy didn't have to wait a moment longer for her answer. A blonde young boy flew in with a blue streak behind him and landed next to the waiting girl. She hugged him and kissed him on the lips playfully before going into great detail of what had happened since their last rendezvous. Blossom couldn't help but smile at the sight of Bubbles being so happy.

It was Boomer, an enemy they should not be associating with, much less having secret meetings in the dead of night. Blossom only wished that she would have been let in on the secret. She then concluded it wasn't a secret from her, but from Boomer's brothers, who would be very unlikely to accept the love of a Powerpuff and Rowdyruff. This comforted her a little bit.

Blossom suddenly sunk into her own fantasies of secret meetings with Dexter. It would be completely unnecessary, but still romantic. The sound of her foot snapping a twig was enough to wake her from her dreamworld. Bubbles and Boomer whipped their heads in the direction of the sound and got nothing more than a squirrel staring back at them.

Blossom was breathing heavily as she raced home, feeling the night breeze in her hair. That was a close one. When Blossom heard the bedroom door close and Bubbles crawl into her bed, across the room, she smiled and kissed the picture of Dexter she had been holding against her chest. With that note, she dozed off to her own romantic story.

* * *

Boomer wouldn't get the chance to enjoy such sweet dreams. While flying above the highway a bright flash of white light struck him hard, sending him crashing to the ground. When he sat up, holding his throbbing head, he saw a long-haired girl in a white dress as radiant as her ivory hair looking down at him. "You're cute, I can see why she likes you." Those were the last words he would ever hear. 


	2. Chapter 2

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 2

School was starting to wind down as summer vacation neared. Consequently, the weather was beautiful and the tough brunette in the green school uniform couldn't wait for school to be over. So, while she zoomed through the air to a final day of school, that would no doubt be full of snacks and socializing, she didn't pay much attention to her sisters jabbering.

Ms. Meryl had cake and cookies set up on all the students' desk, Buttercup had no choice but to pig out. The school was buzzing with talk of what each student would be doing on their break, they wouldn't seem to shut up. Buttercup leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes dreaming about going back to Townsville for a couple of days to fight some bad guys.

Suzy and Tootie visited Buttercup's desk to have them sign a picture of Sensei Jack and her at a school dance. Buttercup was embarrassed and told them to give it a rest, and leave her alone about it. It was a stupid dance, but when she was triple-dog dared to ask Sensei Jack for a dance she was secretly excited and terrified. He had been so graceful and his hand on her hip made her turn a dark shade of red.

The end of the day was the best. When the last bell rang the halls were flooded with running children that trample you as soon as look at you if you stood in the way of their first precious moments of summer. It was as if the teachers might call them back if they didn't get away quickly enough.

The next few days offered little excitement for the girl who was itching for action. Sometime in the second week of June, Buttercup was walking to Tootie's house, kicking her soccer ball along the way, when she saw a familiar face. Standing in front of her was a boy her age with short dark hair and a black jumpsuit containing an "RR" patch on the left side of his chest.

"Butch," She growled at him. "Are you lookin for a butt-kickin? Cuz if you are-"

"No." He didn't look her in the eyes as he talked to her. He sounded almost sad. "Do you know where Boomer is?" Buttercup grunted her response, being that she had no idea where he was. "I know he was going to see 'Blue' and he didn't come back from the last little date."

"What are you talking about? I haven't seen you're brother, and I really don't care. Wait! Are you talkin about Bubbles?" He didn't answer, he just flew away. Weird. Buttercup couldn't stand that tough boy wannabe, but she did feel a little bad for him. Guess she would ask Bubbles when she got home.

Buttercup forgot about going home altogether and fell asleep on Tootie's couch watching Crash Nebula kick alien butt. She after picking up her soccer gear from her home she had to rush, without using her powers, to school for summer practice. (Sensei Jack was coaching, or else she wouldn't waste her summer there if you had paid her.)

Buttercup was never much for caution, so walking down the sidewalk and digging through her backpack simultaneously posed no risk in her mind. Therefore it was no surprise that she ended up colliding with a 6ft, heavy set, red-haired man. He turned to look at the rude girl who had been knocked off her feet by the collision. She looked up at him as though it were his fault, which made him give her a mean look until he realized he was in luck.

"Mornin' lass. Sorry bout bumpin into ya like that. Would ye mind givin a lost Scotsman some directions to Megaville Elementary?"

"…Sure. I'm goin there right now. Guess you could walk with me." She was still staring. He had a white shirt on with a green and red kilt. The top of his head was bald, but he had quite a red mustache going. Not only was that weird, but he had a sword on his back and…AND A GUN FOR A LEFT LEG?! Why did this guy have to go to the elementary school?

She had barely gotten to her feet when the ground started to rumble fiercely. The Scotsman's eyes suddenly became focused, as though he was preparing for a fight. When he drew his sword it became obvious to Buttercup that she was about to get a long deserved fight with some villains. From above them a dark portal tore open the sky, releasing a dozen or so robots, who dropped to earth.

They were silver beetles, standing on they're hind legs, encircling the Scotsman and his child escort. "Lass, don't ye be worrying. I'm gonna-" BAM! One of the robots was knocked off it's feet by a streak of green light. He was speechless at the sight of the little girl in her soccer uniform hovering over the disabled bot. "Guess I got nothing to worry bout then." He leaped at the bot in front of him, slicing it in half with a surgeon's precision.

SMACK! One of the beetle-bots caught him from his right side, sending him rolling into one of the resident's front lawn. It approached him, snapping the pincers on it's head in an intimidating display. The Scotsman had dropped his sword leaving him defenseless, or so it appeared. He lifted his left leg and proceeded to spray a barrage of bullets at the mechanic beast. Buttercup liked this guy's style.

When it was all said and done, with a pile of scrap heap around the two rugged warriors, he gave her a pat on the back and said she had done a good job helping him. Buttercup failed to remind him that she had actually done most of the work for the sake of being nice.

Jack was shocked to see the Scotsman walk onto the soccer field, in fact the students a few feet from him could hear a little squeak escape his throat. He quickly regained his cool and greeted his old friend with a handshake and a hug. The two went in private for a few minutes while the students warmed up. Moments later they returned and Sensei cancelled the practice leaving all the girls disappointed. The boys, of course, started their own soccer game, not needing a coach to have fun.

Minutes later, Jack went to the dojo and returned with a samurai sword. The burly Scotsman smiled at his old friend and gave him a pat on the back. The samurai was not a joyful as his companion, but he had little choice except to do his duty.


	3. Chapter 3

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 3 Summer Days Slipping Away

The sun rose on another perfect day in the suburbs of Megaville, ringing in a new day for the young red-headed boy named Dexter. The sun didn't start his day because he had been up all night in his lab coat with gadgets and gizmos of every size surrounding him. The summer meant that he had all the time he needed to work on his projects without school to interrupt. Just as he was laying his head on his desk to finally get some rest, his phone vibrated on the desk, giving him a shock.

How could he have forgotten about his picnic with Blossom and the girls? The text was a reminder, Blossom knew he might have pulled an all-nighter, but he promised so he had better force himself to lose a little bit of sleep. After a quick shower and some breakfast he was ready to go. That didn't stop him from checking himself in the mirror for about 30 minutes to be presentable for his girlfriend.

Bubbles waved and yelled at Dexter from a distance encouraging him to hurry and lifting up the picnic basket to show it's impressive size. Bubbles was more than happy to pack it full of sweets rather than actual lunch. Buttercup gave a nod acknowledging Dexter's existence, but not much else, seeing as how she couldn't really stand the bookworm. Not that she had anything against him or anything, he was just such a nerd. Even if he was just a little cute.

The four kids sat on the checkered picnic blanket snacking on the various treats and sweets. Blossom scooted closer to Dexter, commenting on her plans to study some advanced math before summer ended. Buttercup scowled at Dexter and then turned to Bubbles to ask her why the heck there was so much candy and no sandwiches. The only answer was a giggle and a handful of more candy. Buttercup rolled her eyes and asked Dexter if he could build her a spaceship to send Bubbles to La-la land, where she belonged.

It wasn't too long until Blossom pulled out some waterguns and the girls were flying through the air squirting each other, and playing like they used to. The girls were inseparable in their pre-school years, but since they had started to grow up, they started to grow apart. This was a day for them to play and enjoy themselves as sisters while Dexter was lying under the shade of a tree watching them zip around in flashes of red, blue and green.

Dexter heard some leaves crack behind him and upon looking up to investigate the noise he was greeted by a girl in white. She smiled at him maliciously as if she were about to commit an unspeakable act. Before she could make a move a flash of pink signified Blossom's landing.

"What do you want?" Blossom stiffly demanded. The other two girls were quick to realize they were facing an enemy.

Bell's face went from angry and vengeful to almost a Bubble's attitude. "Nothin much. Just thought you'd like to know that you're soccer coach has been captured by a dark evil and that we've set a trap for you." She said very aloofly. "He's really good-looking, by the way. So, if you want him back you'll need to go to this address to die…I mean 'save the day.'" Bell giggled and handed Blossom a piece of paper. "See ya later."

It didn't take Buttercup long to start yelling and demanding answers and ordering them to immediately go save Sensei. Blossom urged Dexter to stay home and let the super heroes handle it, but he refused to just sit around. That left only one thing to do; go kick some bad guy butt.

Next Time: Blossom and the team arrive in a narrow alley to discover a portal that only one person may enter. Buttercup steps up and takes the challenge of saving Sensei Jack. The real surprise is when Sensei and the Scotsman turn on her, leaving her no choice, but to fight them. What is going on? Find out on the next chapter; Don't hurt me Sensei!


	4. Chapter 4

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 4: Don't Hurt Me Sensei!

Blossom stared in the dark alley with an expression that said 'You gotta be kiddin me.' The address on the scrap of paper read: Ocean Ave 127 1/2 . The group was halfway between Bldg 127 and 128 which meant this must be it. Buttercup just rolled her eyes at the cliché setting for the upcoming rumble.

The fearless leader with the pink eyes looked back at her companions and directed them to prepare for a probable ambush. Dexter equipped his mechanical gloves which had been upgraded since the battle with Mandark. The children cautiously stepped into the alley watching everything around them for signs of the enemy. With a strike of lightning and the crash of thunder, a portal opened in front of them. It seemed to be a dark abyss that might not lead anywhere but to their doom.

A voice bellowed from within the dark hole, "Only one of you may enter. Choose wisely, if you want to see your samurai again." The evil voice laughed maniacally. Whoever it was didn't seem to know who they were messing with. Buttercup turned to her sister, whose face was now filled with distress, and demanded that she be the one to go.

"We can't just rush in there, Buttercup. There might be another way, I don't want you to get killed if you don't have to." Blossom knew that every minute wasted Sensei might be a minute closer to death, but this was her family she might be sacrificing. It was such a trying moment for such a young girl to choose their next action. She didn't have to decide, Buttercup pushed her way through Blossom and leaped into the portal, leaving Bubbles screaming , Blossom scolding, and Dexter shaking his head.

Buttercup smacked face-first on the stone floor of an eerie dungeon. It was a large room lit by torches, with the only exit being a hole in the ceiling. Her ears were sharp allowing her to hear the decent of something through the entrance above her. With a thud that shook the room the powerful Scotsman landed in front of our heroine.

She smiled with relief that he was okay. He must have escaped the enemy and Sensei was probably battling it out awaiting for the Scotsman and her to join him. The red-haired man looked down at her with a very stern visage. Buttercup assumed this was his combat face, so she didn't become terrified until he swung his mighty sword at her, just missing her.

"Hey! What the heck is wrong?!" He advanced, striking again, forcing her against the wall. Being the girl she was, Buttercup decided to shoot now and ask questions later. With a powerful blow, the Scotsman was sent to the other side of the room, breaking several bricks of the wall he had struck. "That's what I thought!" But what happened to Sensei? Why did he attack me? Damn! I hate this day, first a stupid picnic, now this.

SWOOSH! The tall, handsome swordsman landed with such grace and power that Buttercup might have screamed out in excitement, if she was that kind of girl. He was dressed in white, Japanese-style clothing that Buttercup had never seen before. She knew that it had to mean he was a great fighter.

He ran at her, drew his sword and took a swipe. Buttercup was so caught off-guard by this that she hardly had a chance to dodge. The sword caught her right leg while she jumped drawing blood. She screamed holding her leg in pain. She stared down at him in confusion and pain. The tears in her eyes were too much to hold in. The samurai leaped at a wall and kicked off sending him at his prey. Time seemed to halt for a moment as Buttercup remembered her second day of school and Bubbles saying that they should just be normal grade-schoolers for a change. This was the first moment she had ever wanted to do that. Just to finish the picnic and pick on Dexter and go to soccer practice only to see her awesome teacher whom she would never admit she was crazy about, even if everyone already knew.

Buttercup's eyes became a dark shade of red and emitted a beam at the samurai striking him to the ground. His chest was burnt with a bit of smoke emanating from it. He wasn't dead, but he was unconscious, like his buddy. She floated down to him still crying and holding her lacerated leg. She was losing a dangerous amount of blood, leaving her tired. She just wanted to sleep now.

It was a sad scene to any viewer. Against one wall was the once proud Scotsman lying unconscious. And on the opposite side of the room was the laser burned samurai with a girl bleeding onto the floor as she put her head under his chin after giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Against one of the walls a shadow began to move. It slithered its way to the center of the room and then formed it's body. The tall, menacing, black beast smiled at his trophies all lying there. Heroes' moments of victory last only for a moment, but villains are always there and there aren't enough heroes to fight all the bad guys. These were Aku's thoughts as he scooped up his winnings and left the dungeon.

Next Time: While standing helplessly in the alley praying for Buttercup's safe return, the remaining Powerpuffs and Dexter are greeted by a young girl who challenges Dexter. Who is she and what is her grudge with the boy genius? Find out on the next exciting chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

PPGD Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 5 Catch Me If You Can

In Megaville's run down section, the streets were empty as sunset approached. In a dark alley two girls and a boy, all in elementary school, sat awaiting the return of their friend. "I can't believe I let her go like that!" Blossom burst out in the silence. She had let Buttercup enter the portal and now it might be too late. Despite the fact that Buttercup charged in without warning, Blossom still put responsibility on herself. Dexter was sitting against a wall with his legs stretched out in a very relaxed manner when he got an earful from his girlfriend. "Dexter, how can you just sit there?!" Blossom pleaded desperately for her to comfort him, but being a boy, he didn't know that she was just wanting someone to tell her it would be alright and she shouldn't worry. It might not have been true, but it would have been nice to hear.

"There is nothing we can do right now," Dexter said coldly. "we shall just have to wait for your sister to save Sensei. She may not be too smart, but she is pretty strong." Without knowing it, he had made Blossom feel a little better. Bubbles, however, was not so sure. It had been a long time since Buttercup had barreled into the portal and the blond, pigtailed Powerpuff was starting to worry. With the sun going down, Professor would call soon asking where the girls were, and Bubbles knew Professor would panic at the news of Buttercup's disappearance.

Bubbles looked at the exit that led to the street, only to see a shadowy figure standing only a few yard in front of her. It was a girl of short stature, with long black pigtails, and a pink ballet outfit on. What a strange sight to behold. The girl approached the group with an intimidating walk that signified her dominance. Looking down at Dexter, she gave him a stern tone as she said, "You. Are you Dexter?"

He looked up at the girl, searching his memory to figure out where he'd met her before, "Yes. Who might you be?" She appeared infuriated at his question, as if he should have known her.

"I'm Olga. And you killed my brother." Everyone's attention was focused on this newcomer. Blossom and Bubbles were at a loss for words. Bubbles wanted to hug the girl and tell her how sorry she was if it hadn't been for Olga's next words, "You had no right to kill him. He was my brother and I'll say if he lives or dies." Dexter had gotten to his feet by now and was staring into the cold, dark eyes of his former rival's sister. She seemed so emotionless about the death of her brother. She wasn't mad that he was gone, she was angry because she felt like she lost some property.

"I am sorry for your loss, but-" Dexter was suddenly cut off by Olga's commanding speech.

"I don't want your apology. You owe me. If you want your sister back, you are gonna have to get her." Blossom almost tackled the self-centered little brat, but Bubbles held her back. "You wouldn't really hurt a little girl would you?" She smirked at Blossom. "I am going to leave in ten minutes to where she's being kept. All you have to do is follow me, are you up for it? Oh yea, your little friends aren't allowed to fly."

This was a challenge. If Dexter hadn't been the boy genius he was, they might not have been able to meet the challenge, but he was ready. Hitting a few buttons on his watch activated a teleporter in lab. In a flash of brilliant light a white race car appeared on the road. A few minutes later, Dexter sat in the driver's seat of his Mark 5, with all his racing gear on, peering through his helmet at Olga, who was in a pink Cadillac convertible, revving up her engine.

All three of them were cramped in the Mark 5 with Blossom next to Dexter and Bubbles on Blossom's other side. There was no start signal, just Olga tearing away from the idle Mark 5. THAT was the start signal, Blossom proposed. Dexter hit the gas and followed. It was a feat to catch up to Olga with her incredible speed. She was only a pink speck in the distance, but that would do because as long as they could see her, they would be alright.

Cars were starting to appear on the road. Dexter did his best to swerve through them as he caught up with Olga, but ended up taking out two light poles and a mailbox. Finally, they were starting to catch up to the Cadillac. Dexter by now had assumed the car really wasn't what it appeared to be, probably modified to it's current state just to look sporty. Just as Dexter thought it was smooth sailing, the pink trunk popped open and released mines on the road.

Dexter desperately jerked at the wheel sending the Mark 5 away from the mines, but now into oncoming traffic. Both girls screamed as a semi-truck was about to hit them head on, but Dexter quickly hit a button on the steering wheel, which released some flames from the exhaust pipe, launching the car up and over the truck. Dexter's jet engine had not been perfected yet, but it did a good job in its present state. The car landed with a thud back in the right lane and continued on pursuit of their enemy.

After a series of near deaths, they finally arrived at the destination. The two cars sat on the top of a small mountain overlooking Megaville. If it hadn't been for current circumstances, Blossom would have liked to treasure the sunset with Dexter. A mine shaft was dug into the side of the mountain with two carts positioned on the tracks. Olga climbed in the first one and gestured for the group to get in the second one.

"I hope you like roller coasters." She said sarcastically. Olga pulled a lever on the tracks next to her cart, letting the two mine carts start rolling. For a few moments it was a slow, gentle downward slope until without warning the tracks seemed to just drop. It wasn't a roller coaster, more like free falling. And then, the tracks were flat again sending them horizontally through a tunnel, still at lightning fast speed, and then they went back up and down and up again. The whole ride was making Dexter nauseous. He should have let the truck hit him.

The carts came to a halt in the center of what seemed to be the center of the earth. Maybe it was. It was a huge cavern, hot and flowing with lava. There were several rock bridges that led across the molten river and on the opposite side of one of them was Bell, smiling.

Next Chapter: The villains' plan comes together as the big battle begins. Not much to say except: Be Ready! Chapter 6: Scorned


	6. Chapter 6

PPGD Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 6 Scorned

The cave was absolutely unbearable for the team of young heroes. It was a huge cavern, littered with boulders and rock bridges that crossed over a river of molten lava that originated from a waterfall of lava at the far right end of the room. Directly in front of the group (composed of Bubble, Blossom and Dexter), across one of the stone bridges, were the bad guys. There were three of them; Bell stood in the center, wearing her white dress and glaring at the boy genius with a merciless expression that signified thirst for revenge. On her right was Olga, who had wore a similar visage, directed at the same boy. And to Bell's left was something that no one had ever seen before. I tall, dark shadow in the shape of what could have been a man. He had large, bulging eyes and nasty fangs, smiling at the trio.

Bell took a step forward and greeted her guests, "Glad you could make it." She shot a look at Blossom and with a flash of white light, flew at Dexter and captured him before the Powerpuffs had a chance to stop her. After grabbing her prey she made a u-turn and headed back towards her friends. The shadowy figure then raised his hand and from the ground another shadow formed. Coming up from it was an enormous ball of pink goo that had two men and a girl trapped in it. Buttercup, Sensei Jack, and the Scotsman were all struggling to get out of the material with little effect. Bell heaved Dexter at the substance, sucking him in instantly.

Blossom and Bubbles stood motionless, shocked at what was happening. Blossom was the one who was most apprehensive; she had fought Bell before, and knew this would be no easy task. It might not even be possible. They had to get their friends and make a run for it.

"HEY! IT'S TAFFY!" Everyone's attention turned to Buttercup, in the pink blob, now chewing on the pink substance.

Bell gave a little smirk and replied, "That taffy is from Confectionaria, it is too chewy for any human to actually eat. People have gone crazy trying to eat it." Bell made a mental note to thank Cupcake for sending the taffy and then quickly returned to business. Her eyes suddenly became very serious as she turned to Blossom, "Daddy said I'm not allowed to kill any of you Powerpuff Girls, so I'm going to do the next best thing. I'm going to kill all the boys you like, just like you did to me."

Blossom looked fearfully at Dexter while Buttercup looked towards Sensei Jack. Olga and the shadow were looking very pleased. And then something struck Blossom. She turned to Bubbles who was speechless and then to Bell, "Where's Boomer?!"

Bell suddenly smiled widely, "Sorry. I didn't try to kill him, but I guess I was too rough." Bell was smiling at Bubbles viciously. Blossom put a hand on Bubbles' shoulder and tried to whisper some understanding words in her ear, but Bubbles pushed her aside.

The blond, sad girl walked solemnly towards Bell, staring at the ground. The lava under the stone bridge sizzled and splashed against rock. Bubbles stopped a few feet short of the girl in white and said something too quietly for anyone to hear. Bell leaned in, smiling the whole time, in an attempt to hear what Bubbles was saying. And then…

BAM! No one saw the punch or Bell flying fifty feet back, but everyone witnessed the loud sound of rocks being smashed by the force of Bell hitting them face first. Bell was so surprised by the attack that even after climbing out of the crater she still had no idea what happened. This wasn't good, as Bubbles was now flying straight at her. With another powerful blow to the stomach Bell was back in the hole and being pummeled by an endless barrage of punches.

Bubbles' once blue eyes were now a shade of crimson red, with no sign of the Bubbles that had existed earlier that day. Punch after punch, the cavern was shaking under the force of Bubbles' strikes. Blossom couldn't see Bell, behind Bubbles, leaving her to only wonder if the girl was still alive. Blossom stood there wondering if she should stop Bubbles or let her keep at it. If Bell had a chance to strike back then they might not stand a chance.

Blossom did the only thing she could, she swooped over and grabbed the ball of taffy with her friends in it and quickly loaded it in one of the mine carts. Olga and the shadow creature were quick to chase after her, but Blossom pulled a lever sending the cart back up the tunnel from where they had come in.

"You dare take my prize from me, the great Aku!" The shadow suddenly grew as tall as the room and reached a hand down to scoop up Blossom. He held her up to his face, snarling at the little girl who was now powerless in his grasp. Olga was awestruck at the scene forming around her, maybe she had been to quick to accept the invitation to this club.

A booming voice shouted at the heroes and villains, "Alright, that's enough!" Bubbles ceased her pounding and Aku dropped Blossom, who for some reason forgot she could fly until she had hit the ground. An orange, bulky man (if that's what you could call him) was floating in the center of the room. "Aku, Olga, Bell, it is time to go home." Bubbles was eager to finish Bell off, but something that the newcomer had done was paralyzing her. Bell's unconscious body levitated and flew towards Dr. X, while Aku and Olga made their way to him.

Moments later, the foursome of villains were gone and only Blossom and Bubbles remained in the cavern which was now becoming filled with rocks, falling from the ceiling as a result of Bubbles' attacks. Blossom wished there had been time to say something consoling, but they had to get out of there before the cave collapsed on them. With lightning speed, the sisters began flying through the mine shafts as the caves collapsed behind them. At one point, Bubbles began slowing down, forcing Blossom to take her by the hand and pull her along.

The group was lucky to have Sensei Jack's sword, or else they might never have been free of the taffy. The full moon shone brightly on the odd group of heroes sitting on the mountain side. Blossom kept her arms around the now crying Bubbles. Dexter and Buttercup sat side by side, not speaking to each other, as usual. And the samurai and Scotsman talked, far away from the children, concerned about the new threat and blaming themselves for being tricked by Aku.

They were free and safe for the moment, but they were still in the dark about their enemy, and that was nothing to be happy about.

Cliff Hanger! This is the end of this saga. The next part of the story will be a short story about the Fourth of July featuring Blossom and Dexter with an unexpected guest. Will Brick ruin the fireworks for this couple? Find out


	7. Chapter 7

PPGD Love and War…Mostly War

Red Rumble

"No." Blossom said flatly.

"Just a few things." Dexter's opposition was turning into a whine at this point.

"No gadgets or electronics and especially NO LABCOAT!" The argument had been going on for several minutes until Blossom finally put her foot down and said he would simply have to find a new girlfriend if Dexter refused to wear what she had picked out for him. "Labcoats and gloves are perfectly fine in your room, but we're going to the amusement park and it's already getting dark; we'll miss all the excitement if we don't get going."

Dexter had no problem with going to see the fireworks at the fair grounds, especially since it was with Blossom. He did, however, have a problem with the blue t-shirt and khaki shorts he was now donning. Blossom was quite pleased with her choice of clothing for him. It was modest and just right for summer recreation. Blossom picked out a blue tank top shirt for herself and a tan colored skirt, which matched Dexter perfectly. With their red hair, they were almost in red, white and blue, something Blossom took great pride for thinking up.

The fair grounds were littered with young children scurrying here and there with balloons and cotton candy. The crowd was immense in preparation for the Fourth of July fireworks show that was the biggest anticipation of the summer for all the kids in Megaville. The roller coasters and ferrous wheel were a great site by themselves, but when coupled with the dazzling light show after watching the parade one had no choice, except to be stuck with amazement.

Blossom and Buttercup had done their best to get Bubbles out of her room with little effect. Bubbles simply shunned her sisters away; it was something they couldn't help her with. Oddly enough, Mandy, Bubbles rather peculiar friend, talked her into going to the fireworks show. Buttercup was sure there was something wrong with the morbid, blond Mandy, but Blossom was just relieved that Bubbles was getting out of the house.

The parade was a spectacle to behold, they had such huge floats, all depicting something patriotic; there was even one with Uncle Sam that danced to Yankee Doodle while punching a man dressed as a British soldier from the 1700s. Buttercup just yawned at it all, until she noticed that Sensei Jack was in the Uncle Sam costume. He had seemed to fully recover from the fight with the new enemies with no obvious problems.

When the parade had finished everyone returned to the amusement park and continued to play joyfully awaiting the sunset and fireworks. Blossom and Dexter sat in the cart or the ferrous wheel and stared unblinkingly at the skyline of Megaville. Though they had been a couple for a year, they were still just kids, and that meant they were very shy about showing affection. With great effort, Dexter finally managed to take hold of Blossoms hand. He was a bit surprised when she rested her head on his shoulder, but reservation soon passed and he allowed himself to slip into a relaxed state.

The wheel stopped, with the couple's cart at the very top, viewing the city once again. "Dexter," Blossom whispered softly. "I had a really good time today." She lifted her head off his shoulder, they were now facing each other.

"Me, too." He said a little choked up by the sudden intensity of the moment. Their lips met and held on for what seemed to be an eternity. Of course they had kissed before, but it never became a common experience for some reason. Maybe it was in both of their natures to be awkward with anything other than books or fighting super villains.

The fireworks lit up the night sky as they climbed off the ferrous wheel cart. Holding hands, they strolled along without a care in the world. In that state of bliss Blossom hardly recognized the sound of an explosion in the background. Both of them around to see a blazing ball of fire strike the ground leaving a smoking crater. The next moment, a red streak of light erupted out of the hole and flew at another figure up in the sky.

Blossom turned to Dexter, kissing him on the cheek and said, "I'm gonna go check it out. Try to get somewhere safe." And she was off, leaping into the air and zooming away. Dexter cursed himself for not bringing any of his gadgets or weapons. He was always so prepared for anything, but he let her talk him into playing it just like a normal kid. How could she tell him to do that? She had her powers all the time, no matter what, they were part of her. What she didn't understand was that his experiments and inventions were as much a part of him as her powers were part of her.

Blossom was now a hundred feet up and staring Brick in the eyes. He was fitted in a black jumpsuit that had been badly battle damaged. There were several scratches and bruises on him from his fight. At first Blossom was prepared to fight against him because of their past encounters, but that would be unfair to him. She had to figure out who the other combatant was before taking sides. The moment she was about to question Brick she was hit hard from behind, sending her plummeting to the ground.

Just as she thought she was going to collide with the earth, Blossom found herself in the arms of Brick who was looking very annoyed with her. Brick set Blossom down and gave her a stern look saying, "I'm kinda glad I ran into you. See that up there?" He pointed to a figure hovering in the sky. It was a red robot girl with flames painted on her and a mean look on her face. "She's normally a superhero, but Butch decided to use a remote he found to control her and cause trouble. I hope you know that I despise you, but I don't have much of a choice right now. I used to be able to take her, no problem, but she's been upgraded in the last couple of months."

Blossom looked at him skeptically for a moment, unsure if she should trust what he was saying. The reason for her hesitance wasn't only because Brick was an enemy; it was more due to the fact that he would never see himself teamed up with her. He hated the Powerpuff Girls immensely, so him asking her to help him was just about as weird as Mojo Jojo coming over for Christmas dinner. It just didn't happen.

Blossom gave a nod to show that she would help him tackle the problem. Then, with two blazes of red and pink light, they were in the air in combat with the android. It was a sight for the crowd below as they saw three bright streaks of red, pink and orange fly in circles, making contact every few seconds. Blossom did her best to keep her cool and be tactical, but it was difficult to do when she could hardly keep up with Brick and the robot girl. They were flying and punching and dodging at speeds that seemed to Blossom to be unimaginable. Every time she took a swing at the robot she missed and was automatically struck with a hard metal fist. This wasn't all that bad due to Brick taking cheap shots at the robot while she was attacking Blossom. He was no gentleman, that was for sure.

"Butch!" Brick yelled furiously. "Stop it already! Do you know how much trouble we're gonna be in tomorrow?" Either Butch didn't hear his brother or he simply didn't care because a moment later the robots hand transformed into a cannon.

"Brick," Blossom called to him. "Keep his attention focused on you. I have an idea." On a normal day, Brick wouldn't have been caught dead taking orders from Blossom. This, however, was not a normal day. Brick wanted nothing more than to get this taken care of and go to bed, so he complied hoping Blossom really had a terrific idea.

While the android was charging her laser and focusing it on Brick, Blossom swooped around behind her and took aim as well. Brick was now sweating, he had suffered a tough time before Jenny had her upgrades and was now wondering if he would survive a turbocharged XJ-9. With only a few precious seconds before he was burnt to a crisp, Brick was staring anxiously at Blossom, hoping that she would do whatever it was she had planned. The end of the laser on Jenny's arm was now glowing a bright yellow, ready to erupt at any moment. Brick closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

Nothing. He opened his eyes to see Blossom holding Jenny incased in ice. Blossom smiled, "Ice breath. Sorry I didn't do it sooner, I guess I was a little rusty after not using it for so long. I almost wasn't able to do it for a moment. Close call, huh?" And for a minute, the strangest thing happened; Blossom and Brick laughed together.

It wasn't something that was meant to last. Brick was quick to cut the fun short and take XJ-9 from Blossom very rudely. She couldn't have been more relieved to see him fly away. "Hey, bow brain!" Buttercup called from below. It wasn't until she landed that Blossom remembered what she was doing before the big scene.

"Hey guys, where's Dexter?" He was nowhere to be found.

"Last time I saw him he was mumbling something about superhero boyfriends or something." It was the voice of Mandy in her normal, unexcited tone. Bubbles was also there, holding a stuffed bear she probably won in one of the carnival games.

After about ten minutes Blossom found Dexter sitting on a bench, hunched over and staring at his feet. She didn't quite understand why he was suddenly so moody, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to find out. She sat on the far end of the bench, remaining quiet for several minutes, not wanting to say the wrong thing. It was finally Dexter that broke the silence.

"Why'd you come looking for me? Weren't you having fun with your superhero boyfriend?" He still wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"Is that what you're mad about?" She let out a little giggle. "I can't believe you're jealous of Brick. He's one of our enemies! No way would he be my 'superhero boyfriend.'"

Dexter finally looked at her with a smile, "Really? I'm sorry, it's just that both of you have super powers and the way you were fighting with him made me think…"

"Dexter, there's only room for one boy in my heart." She kissed him on the cheek before taking his hand and leading the two of them off along the moonlit sidewalk.

Coming Up: The second saga of PPGD Love and War…Mostly War, is coming up soon. Here are a few lines to get you thinking.

"Good morning, class." Greeted Ms. Meryl. "This year we have a new addition to the class. Please welcome Samantha to Megaville Elementary."

"You wanna fight?!" shouted Samantha, covering up the wires protruding from her skin.

"Buttercup, how can you be her friend?" Bubbles said indignantly. "She's friends with the girl who killed Boomer!"

"Leave me alone already. It's none of your business."

"Your sisters don't trust me do they? I don't really care what they think, as long as we're friends."


	8. Chapter 8

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Chapter 7: The New Girl

Summer can't last forever as all the children wish it would. Inevitably summer came to an end and the Utonium girls set out for second grade unaware of what was waiting just around the corner. Walking through the doors of Megaville Elementary gave all three of the sisters different feelings. Blossom was excited to be continuing her education while Bubbles couldn't wait to see all of her friends once again. Buttercup, on the other hand, was about ready to stab herself in the eye. It looked like all the freedom and happiness of summer would have to wait another grueling year.

There were still five minutes until class started in which Buttercup used her time to survey the room. It looked like everyone had just moved up from the previous year, with no noticeable additions or subtractions. Ms. Meryl walked in at the sound of the bell with a student that Buttercup couldn't see because she was sitting in the very last row.

"Welcome back, class. It looks like I've been given the duty of being your second grade teacher. I'm looking forward to spending another wonderful year together. By the way, we have a new addition to our classroom. Please welcome Samantha to Megaville Elementary."

The students, in unison, greeted the new girl. Ms. Meryl instructed Samantha to find an empty seat, so she ended up on Buttercup's right side. With the new girl sitting right beside her, Buttercup was able to see that Samantha was apparently the girl she fought last year when she went to rescue Blossom. Buttercup stood up and glared down at Samantha, now sitting coolly in her chair, leaning back with her feet on the desk. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

"Alright class, today we're gonna start out by issuing you your new books." Ms. Meryl had apparently not heard Buttercup's outburst. Samantha put her finger over her lips, telling Buttercup to shush. Blossom and Bubbles turned in their seats and eyeballed the suspicious new student. Blossom didn't meet Samantha, but Bubbles remembered her and by the look on her face, she didn't care too much for playing kickball with Samantha at recess.

The cafeteria was crowded with students all catching up and discussing summer stories. A few girls tried to make friends with Samantha, but she just ignored them and went about eating her lunch. "What is she playing at?" Buttercup said, looking across the lunchroom at Samantha, who was sitting alone at one of the round tables.

"I don't know." Bubbles said with a hint of malice. "She's probably spying on us. I bet she's friends with that Powerpuff wannabe."

"Are you two sure it's the same girl? It's been almost a year, you girls might just think it's her."

"It's her." Buttercup said confidently. "Looks like I just punched out a baby tooth, cuz she has a full smile now."

By recess Buttercup couldn't take it anymore. Samantha had taken refuge under the old tree at the edge of the playground, where the Powerpuff Girls were accustomed to relaxing. This girl had some nerve to try to come to Buttercup's school and then of all things, take her favorite spot to lounge during recess. "Hey!" Buttercup shouted down at Samantha who was lying in the shade.

She opened her eyes lazily and glared up at Buttercup with little concern. "First come, first serve. This is my nap spot for today." She closed her eyes once again. That was the final straw. Buttercup yanked her up by her shirt, putting Samantha an inch from her face. Samantha seemed unphased, dangling loosely with her feet dragging on the ground. "It's just a tree."

"You're trying to tick me off, aren't you?!" Samantha pulled herself away from Buttercup and was now glaring intensely at her.

"All I want to do is be alone. You're the one who bothered me! Besides, I don't want to be at this stupid school or in this ridiculous uniform. I HAVEN'T WORN A SKIRT SINCE I WAS TWO!" Samantha's mood had gotten exponentially worse. She had done her best to ignore the stupid Powerpuff, but she couldn't take it anymore. The memory of Buttercup sucker-punching her the previous year was now flashing in her mind. In a small mutter she said, "Screw the doc's orders."

BAM! Samantha had hurled herself at Buttercup and they were flying through the air, heading for the woods behind the school. Several trees were taken down violently as the pair bolted through them. Buttercup finally managed to kick Samantha off, propelling herself even further back. Samantha stood up, prosthetic skin hanging from her left arm, revealing metal and wires. Buttercup came to her feet, hardly wounded at all, with the exception of a couple bruises.

With another shocking feat of speed and force, Samantha leapt at Buttercup, slamming her onto her back. Buttercup had managed to catch her opponent's hands, leaving their fingers interlocked, each of them doing their best to crush the other's hand. Buttercup was, of course, at a disadvantage due to being on her back with Samantha pushing her lower into the dirt.

The intensity of the moment was evident in their eyes as they glared at one another viciously, hoping that the other would give out. "Give it up!" "Never! You're gonna wish you hadn't picked a fight with me!" "We'll see, Powderpuff!"

And then, with no explanation, everything became amazingly quiet. They were no longer snarling at each other and they had loosened their grip on each other's hands. Instead, Buttercup and Samantha had found themselves hypnotized at the sight of their own eyes. It was something neither of them could put into words at that moment, but something had happened in that fight neither of them had ever experienced. There had been anger, adrenaline, sarcasm, and then the sight of her eyes staring back at her.

Samantha suddenly realized that a minute had passed in this awkward position and began to panic. She let go of Buttercup's hands and began to sprint away, back towards the school. Buttercup sat motionless, in awe of what had just happened. Something inside her, told her what she was feeling, but she really didn't want to believe it. It would be too strange and wrong to admit what she was feeling, so she simply told herself it must have been some kind of trick to mess with her. She didn't believe her false explanation for the moment that she had lied there stunned in the dirt, but with the school bell ringing, she had no time to sort out anything in her head.

Next Chapter: Blossom and Bubbles are not thrilled by the house guest Buttercup brings over and even angrier when she is invited to stay the night. It's a slumber party that will probably end with a BANG! Check out Chapter 8: Pillow Talk.


	9. Chapter 9

PPGDLove and War…Mostly WarChapter 8: Pillow TalkIt had been two weeks since Megaville Elementary had been invaded by an alien threat.Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were always on guard and kept track of Samantha's movements, keeping alert for anything suspicious.Amazingly, the cyborg girl just sat in her chair, leaning back, and daydreaming all day long.What kind of alien invasion were the bad guys running?Who sends a spy to their enemy's school that sleeps all day?Blossom was sure it was meant to make the girls' sense dull so she could strike at them when they least expected it, but as for Bubbles and Buttercup, they just ignored Samantha and concentrated on school.It wasn't long before Buttercup and Samantha had another confrontation where Buttercup nearly set the school on fire, shooting lasers from her eyes, attempting to burn Samantha to a crisp.Apparently, as was later discovered, Samantha had taken the last chocolate milk from the cafeteria, leaving Buttercup with lame white milk.Buttercup received detention and was forced to help clean the cafeteria for a week during recess.It seemed that the two girls just couldn't remain calm while in each other's presence.And then the weirdest thing happened.Bubbles caught the two fighting in the woods behind the school one Friday during recess.At first, Bubbles was keen to jump in and break up the fight, but then the girls stopped and began laughing while sharing a bag of chips.Buttercup waved Bubbles over and the three had a long conversation, mostly about Sensei Jack, that lasted long after the bell rang for class, leading to Bubbles' first ever detention."You what?!"Blossom yelled, outraged at Bubbles' recounting of the day's events."We just lost track of time.I don't think Professor will be too mad.Do you?""That's not what I'm mad about.You're making friends with someone who wants to kill us!These guys are very smart, they're plotting something big and we have to stop them.You can't be running around, skipping class with crazy robot girls who want us dead!"It had been a year since this new enemy had shown themselves and Blossom had yet to discover where they came from or what they really wanted.Probably normal world domination, except this wasn't a normal scheme.They were biding their time and recruiting villains from all over the world, maybe even further than that.Blossom had wanted nothing more than to be a normal grade schooler, but now it seemed that she would end up continuing her career as a super hero.Buttercup, Bubbles and Samantha sat on the sofa, watching an episode of Justice Friends, when Blossom finally returned from Dexter's.Blossom dropped her books in shock of seeing that her home had now been infiltrated.The three girls on the couch turned to her and made a motion for Blossom to quiet down.Blossom walked warily into the kitchen to see Professor stirring something in a large pot."Good evening, Blossom.How was school today?"Blossom told Professor that it was great despite not meaning it at all.When Blossom found out that Samantha would be spending the night, she protested, explaining to Professor Utonium that Samantha was a super villain.Blossom remembered too well the night Mojo Jojo came to a slumber party; she did not desire another crazy night like that.In the end, however, she gave in and ended up in the Monopoly game, playing as the car and owning all four railroads."Pay up, Machine Queen!"Buttercup swiped the play money from Samantha's hand and then picked up the dice for her turn."I can't believe you've never played this before.What kind of board games do all your what-ya-ma-call-its, kaijins, play?""They mostly like tearing each other apart, unless they're guzzling down oil or recharging their batteries."Samantha took two hundred dollars from Buttercup, who had just landed on some of Samantha's best property."I'm kind of glad the doc let me stay the night, this is fun."Bubbles was intrigued by the last comment."The doc?Like our Professor?Is he like your dad?Did he build you or something?"Blossom sat up, out of her slouching position against the bed and began listening intently for more information."Well, kind of and kind of not.I don't really wanna talk about it.You guys should come over to my house next weekend and I can show you the sweet new mech that me and Montray are workin on."Bubbles and Buttercup eagerly agreed and became very excited at the aspect of seeing Samantha's home.Until Blossom decided to ruin the fun by saying, "Does your home include robots that want to take over earth and destroy us?""Um…er…well, yea." Samantha could feel a bead of sweet on her forehead."But they can't really attack you without orders.And since I'm second in command of all the kaijins, you'll be okay.We just have to keep you out of sight of Bell or any of the earthlings that want you dead.We seem to be getting more of them lately.It's getting pretty crowded, actually."Blossom gave a scolding look at her sisters for being so stupid.She rolled the dice and landed on "Go To Jail" and getting a look from Buttercup that said SERVES YOU RIGHT.The game eventually ended and so did Blossom's attacks on Samantha.Blossom accepted Samantha's explanation that Doctor X sent her to school to have a taste of normal childhood and apologized to her.Samantha was fair to warn her that she was still taking over earth, friends or not and Blossom told her they would just have to wait and see.Eventually, all four girls found their way to their sleeping bags on the bedroom floor and fell silently to sleep.The room was very dark, excluding a sliver of light from the hallway left on for Bubbles.From left to right lay Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup and Samantha, all in a peaceful slumber, except for Samantha on the end who was lying on her side facing Buttercup.The thoughts of having to fight her new friends raced in her mind, making a small tear escape her eye.She wiped it away, cursing her biological half for being so stupid and then leaned over to Buttercup and with a moment of hesitation, kissed her on the lips while she slept.She rolled over, pulling her blanket tight and smiling to herself, ignoring every inevitability that would come from her being friends with the enemy while Buttercup laid there, eyes wide open, stupefied and blushing.Then, she smiled.Next Chapter:Samantha introduces the girls to her best friend, a kaijin known as Montray, and gives them an unforgettable day right inside the Dark Star Council's HQ.Samantha, being second in command, can tell the kaijin robots not to attack the Powerpuffs, but she soon realizes that she has no power over some of the new recruits from earth.


	10. Chapter 10

PPGD

Love And War

Chapter 9: Playdate

Mid-September was turning out to be a wonderful season for Buttercup despite the reason for her glee being a secret from everyone, even her two sisters, to whom she could certainly trust with her life. For the last week Buttercup had been secretly spending her recess hidden in the trees beyond the playground, nestled beneath the shade of many colored leaves. It wasn't the place she was that brang her joy; it was the girl that was leaning against her, holding her hand.

The girls who had once despised each other passionately were now inseparable. Buttercup had always been to tough for any boy to approach, but Samantha was strong and fearless, the two were a perfect match if they had not both been girls. Buttercup looked down at Samantha's hand (beneath the skin existed metal and a vast array of wires) and wondered if Samantha even felt her hand due to it being artificial.

"The doc wants me to be able to feel stuff. He says that no matter how advanced I get, I should keep some human parts of me. That's why I can feel warm and cold and pain in my cybernetic parts." She seemed very happy with this fact. Buttercup had been informed that the doc was Doctor X, the man in charge of conquering Earth for Queen Vexus and that they really didn't stand a chance. These conversations were so light harded that it really didn't seem like there was a war for the planet going on. Blossom and Bubbles had been affected painfully by the Dark Star Council already, but Buttercup had actually gained from it and just hoped they would leave and Samantha could come live with the Utoniums.

When the bell rang for students to leave the school, Samantha hesitantly approached the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter, who were exiting the main doors of the school. "Do you guys want to come over my house to watch some TV?" This was a shocking question as Samantha's house was infested with malicious robots and supervillains from all over the world. Dexter took his glasses of and wiped the lenses while muttering something about an experiment before bidding them a good weekend.

Bubbles was the one to speak up, "Is it okay with the doctor? I'd love to go," she said happily. Samantha assured her that she could keep all the kaijins out of trouble and that they would just avoid the earthling recruits. "Alright!" Bubbles said, now hovering in the air and Blossom tugging on her foot, highly embarrissed that some Mac was staring at the underside of her skirt.

Samantha used a teleporter built into her watch to transport them to her room. She quickly ducked into her closet and found a pair of jeans and t-shirt and shed her cute school uniform as quickly as possible. The other girls marveled at the room which looked like a cross between a robotics lab and a castle. There were pipes coming from the ceiling and computers built into the wall with some bazookas stowed under the bed(oddly enough with unicorn sheets). Samantha apparently had a unique taste in musical bands as expressed by posters of heavy metal bands with painted faces and leather jackets. And then there was the strange assortment of fireworks in a box underneath another box that contained some teddy bears.

"Let's go secure the big screen before someone else gets it. We've only got one since Bell blew up the other." Samantha suddenly realized that she had mentioned Bell's name(something she tried to avoid due to Bell killing Boomer, Bubbles' boyfriend) and tried quickly to change the subject, "I think Scooby Doo is on right now!" Bubbles looked as though she would cry for a moment until quickly looking up and smiling, begging Samantha to lead the way.

While walking down the hall the girls had an encounter with Montray, Samantha's guardian who also happened to be a six foot mechanical monster. He was a dark shade of gray, human shaped with a reptilian sort of face and huge bat wings on his back. He had grabbed Samantha by her pony tail and pleaded with her to take her friends away from HQ before anyone else saw them, but was met with a defiant voice that ordered him to mind his own business.

Bubbles found herself on the right side of the couch, laying her head on tha arm rest while Blossom sat opposite with her legs pulled inward and her chin on her knees. Buttercup was on the floor next to Samantha slouched and tapping the remote's channel button. Apparently the television picked up 8,942 channels from satellites in Earth's orbit and planets from all around the cosmos and there was still nothing good on.

"Look who it is, the Powerpuff Brats!" An irksome voice from behind them bellowed. The girls turned around to see a red haired girl in a yellow sweater and orange skirt glaring down at them with a maniacal smile that meant she was happy to see them. And if Princess was happy that meant everyone else was about to be very unhappy.

Buttercup jumped up, prepared to pummel Princess, and coming near to it before Samantha snatched her hand and pulled her back. "Lemme at her!" Just then, another girl entered the doorway behind Princess looking very interested in the situation. The girl had red skin and donned something similar to Santa Claus' outfit except that it was obviously modified for a girl, with the addition of a skirt and some rather sexy boots. The girl also possessed lobster claws for hands, a long spiked tail, and horns on top of her head, accompanied by long, dark, flowing hair. She was creepishly beautiful.

When the girl finally reached Princess she spoke, "Did you find new friends?" She sounded as if she were daydreaming. It was an airy voice that gave the impression she was a few cards short of a full deck. "Are these new friends? I don't think so," she said looking at the girls, "They don't have anything to eat." She rested her head on Princess' shoulder looking bored and asked Princess if she felt like a movie.

The hot tempered Princess couldn't stand her roommate, supposedly one of the most powerful demons ever. Princess banked on Her to be just as evil and tyrannical as her father, Him, but that was a wrong assumption. All Her really did was lounge around, feeding off the super villains' anger and hate. Princess approached Blossom, who was now on her feet, and gave her a hard look in the eyes, "This lounge is only for Dark Star Council members, so that means you have to leave! AND IF YOU DON'T LEAVE, ME AND CRAB GIRL HERE ARE GONNA KICK YOUR BUTTS!"

BAM! Princess had been kicked hard in the face and sent flying against the wall. Blossom turned to see Samantha smiling at her, apparently awaiting a "High five!" or something. Princess was rubbing holding her throbbing head, attempting to figure out what happened. Her's eyes became a bright, glowing red as she leered at Samantha and the other girls. And before anyone knew what happened, Her made a fierce swipe at Blossom with one claw, narrowly missing, but then using her tail to wrap around Samantha's leg and swing at Blossom.

Bubbles and Buttercup weren't going to take that sitting down; Bubbles flew at her only to be shot with a rocket that Princess had fired from a wrist gun. Princess was now in battle attire, wearing her signature gold Powerpuff-wannabe outfit and jetpack. Buttercup had made her way to Her and was savagely swinging away, hitting nothing, but air. The demon girl moved elegantly, like a dancer in a performance. She seemed unaware that she was being attacked as she smiled dreamily watching Buttercup's grimace.

Blossom and Samantha got to their feet and were watching the commotion when some more of Princess' rockets went in their direction. Samantha ran at Princess, who had still decided not to go airborne, though the room's size permitted it. Princess was caught off guard by the new combatant and was taken to the ground immediately. "Doctor X is gonna be so mad at you for letting them in! And he'll be really mad if you do anything to me! I can't wait to see you beg for forgiveness, traitor!"

"Shut up, you little brat! You don't know anything!" She was furious with the situation at hand. Of course the Doc would be outraged, why did she think she could keep the Powerpuff Girls coming here a secret? They kept getting new recruits and there was no privacy anymore.

"It would be nice if you were Bell, she gets away with everything, being the Doc's daughter and all." Samantha's hand were tightly clenched around Princess' throat causing her to choke and gasp for air.

"She's not his daughter! You have no idea what he's done to his real daughter!" Princess was blue now and had given up struggling. It took Blossom and Bubbles to pull Samantha off, leaving Princess on her back crying.

That evening, the four girls found their way to the school playground and sat on top of the jungle gym, watching the stars. The three sisters had all laughed at memories of Princess and speculated on the demon girl, Bubbles being the one to point out the similarities between Her and Him.

"So, what happened to Doctor X's real daughter?" Bubbles asked inquisitively.

Samantha, who had remained quiet since their departure from the base took a moment to answer, "He got rid of her. He found Bell and forgot about his real daughter, he just gave her away to some aliens to experiment on and didn't give her a second thought." The thought of Professor Utonium replacing her entered Bubbles' mind, giving her a dreadful feeling.

Blossom, sitting on Samantha's left, had a sudden epiphany and couldn't help but say, "It's okay. Maybe that girl is better for it." Samantha gave her an indifferent look. "Maybe she's found new friends that she wouldn't have ever met if he hadn't shunned her." It was supposed to be an uplifting note for the conversation, but Blossom had the feeling she just made it worse.

"You're probably right. Guess we'll never know."


	11. Chapter 11

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Saga 02 Chapter 04: Sugar

The biggest shock was being lost and alone. The little girl sat alone in her gray school uniform with her blond pigtails being blown by the wind, perched on the ledge of a cathedral as she watched the morning sun rise. The tears in her eyes were interfering with her sight, but she didn't really care. She had just lost her best friend to those monsters and she was a long way from home. For the first time since she had dropped out of school, she was regretting running away from home.

Bubbles leaped in the air to avoid her sister's furious kick. Buttercup was chasing her through the skies cursing at her and wanting more than anything that she had not been caught with Samantha, or at least not caught in that position. Bubbles was pleading with her sister and swearing not to tell anyone, but Buttercup was just too embarrassed and angry at herself for not locking the door.

Blossom, who was walking back from a visit to Dora's house, had seen the fighting in the skies above her and was on course to break it up. The girls always attempted to keep there super powers some-what of a secret from the rest of Megaville, and if it had not been a Saturday morning the citizens would certainly have been on their commute to work and would have had a hard time not noticing three dazzling streaks of light zooming this way and that way, occasionally striking each other and then retreating.

"TIME OUT!" Blossom's voice echoed, causing the other two to stop in their tracks. As the three of them hang suspended in midair Blossom demanded an explanation, "What are you two fighting about and why did you feel like you had to attack me too?"

"Sorry," Bubbles said feebly. "I didn't know it was you, I just didn't want to get hit anymore." She gave a foreboding look in Buttercup's direction. Even for all of Bubbles' kindness, being attacked for walking into her own room was hardly something she wanted to tolerate.

Buttercup knew that the conversation might get ugly if Bubbles mentioned what she had seen, luckily there was a fourth voice that broke the silence. "Hey! You! Flying up there!" The sisters turned their gaze to a lonesome young girl, no older than they were, standing on the sidewalk. Buttercup decided she would rather see this new girl, whoever she was, than let the conversation reach it's inevitable topic.

Once they had landed, they noticed that the girl looked as though she had been in a brawl with someone mean. Her outfit, resembling a school uniform, was very dirty and her hair was a mess, not to mention the various cuts and bruises on her face. "I saw you fighting up there, you've got super powers right?" The girls nodded, still surveying the new girl. "I'm Ginger, and if you are super heroes, then I was wondering if you could help me save my friend."

Blossom was hesitant to agree, apparently she had forgotten that they were supposed to be heroes. In all honesty, all she wanted to do was go see Dexter and spend the day in the lab, playing with all his inventions and distracting him with all her girlish charms (which she had learned in recent weeks she was gifted with many). But Bubbles was the one to pipe up and be decisive, "Of course we'll help you. It's our job because we're the Powerpuff Girls!"

Samantha had found her way out of the house and to the scene. She shared an awkward look with Bubbles before greeting Ginger, "How can we help?" Blossom looked a bit taken back by the "we" bit of the comment. Hadn't Samantha said she wasn't going to become a "good guy" anytime soon?

"I dropped out of school and ran away from home. These robots took my best friend from me last night and I don't know where he is. I…" Her voice trailed off as she began to cry. Bubbles hugged her and gave her words of reassurance that they would help her find whom she was looking for.

After Ginger gave them a brief description of the attackers Samantha was sure that they must have been kaijins. It was around noon when Ginger's pleas finally weakened Samantha and she agreed to help her save her friend. There would be a heavy price to pay if they were caught. Taking the Powerpuff Girls to HQ to watch TV was a big mistake, but actually rescuing someone from kaijins would be no less than treason, punishable by execution.

Buttercup followed Samantha into the kitchen, telling her that she really didn't have to do this. "Just teleport us there and we'll do all the dirty work. They'll never know you were involved." Buttercup didn't really like the thought of this; she secretly wanted Samantha to get caught and exiled. Then, maybe she could come live with the Utoniums and they could all fight the Dark Star Council and attend school.

When the girls had all decided that they were going to go through with the plan and that it would be a rescue mission only. Ginger looked anxious as they all gathered around Samantha. Blossom was the only one who seemed to have any suspicions of the new girl. Why would kaijins be interested in some little girl and her friend? And who were they going to rescue? She hadn't done as much as mention her friend's name.

The girls snuck through the corridors of the high tech fortress, keeping an eye out for anything that could be sneaking up on them and checking around every corner. In truth, they had no idea where to look for a prisoner, they didn't usually take prisoners. But, in passing a doorway Ginger began leaping for joy as she saw her captured friend.

Ginger was at the foot of a 50 foot red and blue robot, stationary and seemingly lifeless. The little girl was smiling wide as she hugged Bubbles and thanked her for helping her. "I can't believe it! Thank you for helping me find Optimus!"

"No." Samantha's stern voice pierced the happiness of the moment. "Doctor X gave it to me, so it's mine." She recounted last night's events. The doctor had brought her to the hangar and said she could tinker with the new mech as much as she pleased. She was overjoyed to be given such a gift.

"Samantha! You can't be serious." Blossom was appalled at the sudden change of heart. And even if it was a gift, she couldn't keep this robot if he was Ginger's friend. The next shock came at a large mace slammed the ground next to them.

The mace was attached to a long noodle arm of a kaijin. The kaijin was a towering, slender, insect like machine whose small head and bug eyes stared at them, viewing them as prey. His other arm was also long and stringy with a large pair of blades resembling scissors, now slicing air and making a frightful sound of swishing metal.

"Congratulations, Princess Samantha, Queen Vexus will be pleased with this. We just sent her a big portion of the Justice League by teleporter this morning." Nool wasn't very sharp, seeing as he hadn't noticed how the Powerpuffs were not detained or anything. Samantha's mind was sent spinning with thoughts of her friends at Queen Vexus' mercy. She had to think quickly and get her friends out of there. Before she could act there was a blur of pink and a crashing noise and a second later Nool was laid out against a gundam's foot.

At first, Samantha was sure Blossom had attacked their would be captor, but to her surprise she saw Ginger standing in front of her holding what must have been an enormous lollipop and appearing fiercer than she had ever seen Buttercup or Bell. Something had taken hold of her and it must have been the raw instinct to fight because Ginger had, up to now, not appeared to be any sort of tough girl.

Samantha did not have time to contemplate Ginger any further as Nool began to stir. Ginger looked Samantha square in the eye as she said, "Wake him up. I am not gonna leave him here, do it or I'll come after you when I'm done with this guy." Ginger ran at Nool, who was now swinging his mace arm at her. Ginger was too quick to be caught by something as inaccurate as a big spiky ball on the end of an elastic arm. She was smart, fast and agile. Every dodging action she took was like watching a work of art. The scissors snapped at her, they would have gotten any of the Powerpuff Girls, but the sugar princess swung her mighty lollipop club at them and the moment of contact sent metal and bits of wire everywhere.

In another few moments the battle was over and the kaijin was twitching on the ground behind Ginger. Samantha was petrified at the thought of Destruction, her commander, seeing one of their own mangled like he was. Ginger was now, once again, feet from Samantha and staring at her. It was a moment like she had dreaded for the last month, she would have to either fight this girl and avenge the fallen kaijin or free the red robot that was this strange girl's friend.

"The doc gave him to me." She muttered inaudibly. Her head had sunk as she walked to a control panel and reluctantly fidgeted with some buttons and dials. The titan awoke to see Ginger looking up at him expectantly.

"It looks as though I owe you my life once again." He set his open hand in front of her. She stepped on to it, turning to wave goodbye to her new friends. Bubbles wished her good luck and the other girls just waved her farewell. Optimus had no problem knocking down the walls and marching away untouched, the sentries on patrol were all too afraid to question the autobot or ask him for ID.

Blossom patted Samantha on the back telling her she had done the right thing as Bubbles and Buttercup vigorously discussed Ginger's spectacular battle. "She was all like BAM and SWOOSH!" Although Samantha could not bare to admit why she was so upset by the loss of Optimus, she knew that she was upset that Doctor X had given her something, a present, and now it was gone. She had hardly received anything from him before and now that she had, she was forced to watch it walk away.

It wasn't until later that night as she was in her white t-shirt and boxers, prepared for bed that Bell opened her bedroom door (without so much as knocking) and told her that the doc wanted to see her. "What does he want? You're finally conscious, shouldn't he be petting you and deciding how to get back at Bubbles for hurting you?"

Bell looked taken back as if she was going to cry. What a freak she was. One moment a ball of fury, the next a little crybaby. She needed a shrink, no doubt. "He just sent me up here to get you. Why are you being so mean to me? If you're going to be that way I'll just go find Girly, he'll be happy to see me."

Samantha knocked on the Doc's door before entering. The room was dimly lit and gave off an eerie feeling like a haunted house might. He was standing in the shadows with his back turned to her, peeking out the curtains, "I think you've gone a little too far this time, Samantha." What was he talking about? OH NO! "That autobot was an enemy of ours, you know? I think it's time we have a talk about where you fit into this little family, don't you?" His eyes pierced her very soul as he turned to her. What would he do?


	12. Chapter 12

PPGD

Love And War…Mostly War

Saga 02 Chapter 05: Try Not To Cry

The desk beside Buttercup had been empty for a week now. She hardly heard a word the teacher said as she gazed at the chair that once sat the one person she had been able to connect with the most. The more she thought about how they complimented each other or how they contrasted so drastically or even just the sound of Samantha's laughter the more she wanted to run out of the school and hunt down that base of theirs.

She eventually rested her head on her desk and fell into a deep sleep, unnoticed by anyone else in the classroom. The images around seemed to be spinning, make her unsteady. The memory of coming into existence was clear to her now. A pre-school girl in a green dress was staring wide eyed at Professor Utonium beside her sisters. Then, Mojo Jojo was thrashing about Townsville in a mechanical beast before being hit with three beams of light; pink, blue and green. A second later, Buttercup was standing in the living room of her own house watching herself, a year younger, holding a scrawny boy with glasses by the collar and demanding answers to the whereabouts of her sister. BAM! She had sucker punched Samantha and rescued Coop and Megas XLR from the Dark Star Council.

And then, she was holding hands with the same girl, smiling and vividly describing a battle with Fuzzy Lumpkins. The other Buttercup was swinging at the air with her free hand and making swooshing noises for emphasis on how fast she had been flying. Samantha, at this point did not resemble her tomboy, ill mannered self. Instead, she had been replaced with an adolescent girl, captivated by her new found friend and not understanding what was going on in her head or heart, but happy nonetheless.

Blossom was unaware of anything that Buttercup might be dreaming about at that moment. The only thing visible to her was the amount of drool emanating from her dozing sister at the back of the class. Blossom would probably have corrected Buttercup and reminded her of the importance of education if she had not been so caught up in her own daydreams. It had nearly been a year since she met Dexter and she had been scribbling hearts on her paper all morning. What could she get Dexter for such an occasion? Had he remembered what day they met? Would it be as special to him as it was to her? Time would tell, for now it was better to continue writing little "D & B"s in any blank space possible.

At another desk, near the front of the class, sat Bubbles, twirling her hair in her fingers. Mandy had just passed her a note directing her to meet her after school at Billy's house. Bubbles enjoyed her trips with Mandy to play with Billy and Grim more than she had the previous school year. What made this year different was the murder of Boomer, her secret boyfriend and the Powerpuff's enemy. It had been several months since it had happened, but it still plagued her mind and had slowly changed the once airheaded, sweet Bubbles into a sadder girl. True she was still smiling and was very thoughtful and kind, but now she was not so carefree and a bit more touchy.

Mandy peeked through the corner of her eye at Bubbles who gave a nod of agreement. She was very pleased with the response and hopeful for the afternoon's plans. Mandy had a hobby for picking up slow witted friends and abusing them for her own gain. A skill she enjoyed having, but that didn't make her a bad person; it just made her not-good. Mandy enjoyed using Bubbles' super powers to move heavy objects or blast through castle walls in the Underworld, but she had a sense of gratitude and allowed Bubbles to talk to her whenever she was in need of a friend. Maybe when she was Queen of the Underworld, Mandy wouldn't have Bubbles' soul reaped. Maybe she would let Bubbles stay up above and fight crime and save the world before bedtime for as long as she pleased. "Nah, can't play favorites." She mumbled to herself and scratched that off the to-do list.

Samantha would have given anything to be in that classroom, enjoying the boredom that spawned so many smiles upon her friends' faces as they dreamed of different times and places. Much to her dismay she felt a surge of electricity jolt her from the cable protruding from the back of her neck. She winced at the pain, attempting not to scream of let out tears. Moments later, the pain became to unbearable and she was weeping openly, cursing the bulky orange man at the control panel.

Doctor X's flame at the top of his head was flickering brightly as he calculated and adjusted the dials on the board in front of him. The girl was so helpless, hanging there by metal hooks and being tortured. The kaijins in the room shook their heads in approval of the punishment. All except for Montray who had wished he could turn away from it. The gray, two-legged, dragon-like machine watched in horror as the little girl he was constructed to protect was being tortured in front of him. He had two purposes in life; to serve the Cluster and to guard Samantha with his life. He had to do those duties respectively and because she had betrayed the Cluster and because serving the Cluster was his top priority, he had no choice but to not act on his wishes and free her from this agony.

"Please…" Her voice trailed of in sobbing.

"I was very kind to you. I gave you a chance to make friends and have a little freedom. Unfortunately, when I gave an inch, you took a mile." Doctor X said as he pushed a lever forward, increasing the output of painful electricity. Behind him sat Bell, hugging Gir tightly and laughing at his random phrases. If she knew Samantha was in the worst pain of her life, she didn't show it for a second.

The bell rang and the doors of the school flew open, followed by a swarm of children in heated escape from their studies. At the tail of the herd of kids were two yellow haired girls, two red haired love birds and one rogue tough girl in green. All five of them stopped at the sight of the girl with silvery, long white hair and the black striped dress. She stared fiercely at them, showing all the loathsome hate that Bubbles glared directly back.

"Hi, Bubbles! I missed you a whole bunch. Wanna finish what we were doing before?" It sounded so innocent that she could have been discussing an unfinished game of checkers. With brilliant flashes of light, kaijins were now appearing. And then, two great flashes of light gave way to Doctor X and Samantha.

Buttercup could have yelled out at her then and there and told her everything she had been wrestling with in her mind for the last week. Except Samantha wasn't smiling back at Buttercup; she was pleading with her friend in an unspoken apology for what was about to happen. Without warning, Samantha had charged Buttercup and knocked her to the sidewalk's pavement. The teachers looked from their windows with horror at the scene.

Samantha couldn't move away and she couldn't speak, but she told Buttercup with as much as a facial expression could say that she didn't want to fight and she would give anything to avoid hurting her best friend, but she had no choice. Her body was not her own anymore, she was a doll. Buttercup could see it in her eyes and instantly knew she was about to fight with the one person she would give anything to avoid hurting.

Next Chapter: Doctor X has full control over Samantha's body and is not holding anything back as he forces Buttercup and Samantha into a savage fight. Meanwhile, Blossom and Dexter are forced to fight a horde of kaijins while Bubbles is locked in combat with Bell. Mandy will be seen at the sidelines in a lawn chair and a foam finger cheering on her favorite side. (Who she's rooting for, no one is sure.)


	13. Chapter 13

PPGD

Love and War…Mostly War

Saga 02 Chapter 06

The clouds cast a dark mood upon the school yard as Buttercup sat up, trembling, and at a loss for words at what was going on. Standing over her was the figure of a rowdy, rough tomboy that she had come to care about so deeply. Her outfit was comprised simply of jeans, a white t-shirt and a gray jacket. She seemed so superior and lethal standing over Buttercup the way she did. If it weren't for the tears in her eyes one would believe that she was truly happy to be on the verge of crushing the Powerpuff Girls.

Doctor X stood a long ways back with some sort of remote in his hand, viewing the scene with pleasure. The robotic warrior beside him whispered in his ear before getting a nod of approval, to which Destruction smiled. The tall, red humanlike kaijin with his green bug eyes turned to his comrades and signaled the attack. It was a chaotic moment; the three kaijins behind him leapt into action, sending Blossom, Bubbles and Dexter into confusion.

Bubbles jumped sideways to avoid Brute's swing. Brute was by far the slowest kaijin in terms of physical abilities and wits, but because of his massive size and intense strength he was a hazard to anyone in his way. He was five times Bubbles' size, every movement he made was slow and life threatening, and all Bubbles could do to defend herself was jump to this side or that side. Blossom and Dexter were assaulted from both sides by humanoid moth and mantis kaijins. Switchblade's scythe hands were efficient, quick and deadly. Blossom was very agile and tactful, but she was losing a little more hair with each slash of his blade. She could only keep up that game for so much longer. Dexter was having a little more luck on his side as he used his power gloves to deflect Black Moth's attacks.

Bell's hair was gently being lifted by the breeze as she held onto her father's hand and smiled gleefully. Destruction caught her gaze only once and quickly turned his eyes away. Kaijins' emotions are very limited and although Destruction knew that he was unable to feel it, he still received chills when he looked into those eyes. Eyes of this girl they had taken in so long ago and whom they feared would destroy them all if anyone should let their guard down.

Samantha's fist drove into the earth, barely missing Buttercup. She was soon leaping backwards, blocking Samantha's punches and doing her best to keep an eye on her sisters. For a moment she caught a glimpse of Mandy sitting on the steps of the school and opening a candy bar. All of this was too much to focus on as her opponent's strikes became fiercer.

"What's wrong? Why is all this happening all of a sudden?" Buttercup called to her friend in hope that she would give some sort of answer. However, the voice that answered it was not who she had expected it to be.

Doctor X's strong voice called to her, "Because we're on a schedule. I have a planet to conquer and you're standing in the way. When I told her to make friends, I didn't mean it to be with superheroes." There were some curse words he couldn't hear coming from Buttercup, but he simply ignored the remarks. "I was reasonable until you kids decided to let the autobot go. It took an awful lot to catch him. You're a bad influence on her, you know?" He was, of course, referring to Samantha. Her aiding the girls was unforgivable and should be dealt with accordingly.

Buttercup was getting tired of running from this fight. It wasn't Samantha she should be fighting, it was Doctor X, that despicable monster. He was definitely more vile than anything she had ever encountered before and he deserved a good beat down. It took a lot to land that first punch on Samantha, but when it was done that meant the second one would come easier. She tried holding back, but soon realized that Samantha's android body could handle more than a normal human, so she had to punch much harder.

It seemed to be no use. Even with solid, strong hits on her, Samantha continued to fight and was slowly becoming the victor. It was so cruel to punish her like this. The tears were flowing freely now as she caused more pain to Buttercup's body. The green school uniform was torn and dirty. There was blood on Buttercup's arms and legs as she picked herself off the ground. Everything around her was a blur, the only clear image was Samantha walking calmly towards her. Somewhere in the distance she could hear her sisters screaming and the sound of metal clashing.

Her body was becoming tired and it was starting to show. Her movements were sluggish and lacked that certain tone Buttercup tended to give off. She was no longer cocky or arrogant; she had been humbled to an opponent who could take her out anytime she wished, but Doctor X was pulling all the strings and he didn't feel like having Samantha finish her off just yet.

Some how Bell and Mandy were now sitting beside Doctor X conversing and eating popcorn while watching the chaos unfold. Destruction tried to point out the new human to Doctor X, but he replied telling the kaijin that Bell should be free to make some friends. Dexter activated a switch on his gloves causing them to be charged with blue sparks. The next punch that came his way from the insect robot was the last. As soon as Dexter saw it coming, he threw his fist out and they collided with terrible power. The blue sparks from Dexter's glove were soon swimming onto Black Moth's arm and all over his body. Within ten seconds he was on the ground, immobile and silent.

Blossom was getting tired and decided she would fly into the air for a short breath. That wasn't to be. The kaijin apparently had been hiding his wings and now he was spreading them. He was soon flying towards her and the only thing to do was fly higher away from him. Blossom felt the strain of the battle on her limbs and knew that she could only go so high. It was finally resolved in her head to turn around and face the menace head on. With all the speed she could muster, she was heading at him, eyes glowing red and then there was nothing but the flash of her laser eyes and the sound of his mechanisms being reduced to ash.

When she landed she nearly collapsed before realizing there was more fighting to be done. Bubbles and Dexter were rushing to her, they had apparently defeated the third kaijin. "Are you okay?" Bubbles asked, placing Blossom's arm around her back in order to help support her.

Buttercup was on the ground, Samantha's hands at her throat. She was kicking and biting, doing anything to get her assailant off. Samantha's tears were falling on Buttercup's face. Every drop that touched her face stayed, it didn't roll off. It was like they were clinging to her, wanting to embrace her. It was just too sad.

"I hate you." Samantha whispered, closing her eyes tight. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." She continued. Buttercup was having a hard time breathing as Samantha's grip tightened. "You were supposed to be my dad, but you were never anything close." What was she saying? Buttercup began to realize that she hadn't been saying she hated Buttercup; she was talking to Doctor X.

"Everything I've done, I've done for you. And even if you don't realize it now, this is for you too." He said coldly as he adjusted something on the remote. Buttercup couldn't take it anymore. With this new knowledge, she was infuriated. A new passion rose up in her chest as the world became a little clearer. Her arms were now locked on Samantha's right below the shoulders. With all her strength, she began pulling outwards. Samantha screamed as she felt the cybernetic pieces being pulled apart from her. There was a horrible grinding noises and a rip, with Samantha's whimpers of pain and the sound of her crying.

The next moment, Samantha was lying on the grass, pitiful and broken. Buttercup was staring point blank at the intimidating Doctor X, but he was the one who should have been afraid. If there was ever a look that could kill, this was it. There was no forgiveness in her eyes, she would kill him if it was the last thing she did. And then, he clapped. "Well done. I didn't honestly think you would live." He turned his eyes to his daughter, sitting up on the grass with metal and wires hanging from her shoulders. "I'm giving you a choice, you can stay with them or come home. I'd hate for us to be separated again."

Buttercup sniggered. "What makes you think…" Samantha was dragging her feet as she walked to her father. Buttercup reached out a hand to pull her back, but she stopped. Why would she do that? Why would anyone want to go back? It wasn't right. She wanted with all her heart to kill that man and every last one of his toy robots. But all the anger left her. Her body seemed unwilling to obey her brain. She was frozen in that moment, the wind chilling her skin, the tears on her face. The tears on her cheeks weren't only Samantha's, they were hers too.

This was their enemy. Heartless, inhumane, and as far as they could see, evil. The girls were now more determined than ever to put an end to this invasion. Nothing would stop them from defeating the Dark Star Council and the Cluster. It wasn't just a matter of being superheroes, it was a personal conviction that was taking hold. They had been hurt by these villains one too many times. It was time to return the favor.


End file.
